Councillor puts debate over Uber’s role in city transit mix back on the table
A role for Uber in Edmonton’s public transit system was shoved back on the council table Thursday as Coun. Andrew Knack grabbed his first opportunity to raise the question.
Knack asked the city to explore options for getting residents to and from a major transit centre — the so-called “first and last mile solution.”
That could include subsidizing a private ride-sharing company such as Uber, as some American cities have done. It could also be a public dial-a-bus option with smaller publicly-run vans and similar high-tech booking systems.
“It might not be the best option. It’s just getting a report,” said Knack, defending his decision to re-introduce an idea voted down last July. He can do that because this is a new council.
“When we’re talking about a complete revamp of our transit system ... one of our most expensive budget items, I think we need all of the available information,” Knack said.
Specific route details in a new transit strategy are also still being worked out; it’s scheduled to take effect in January 2020.
Knack’s motion came at the end of a multi-day council meeting reviewing the city’s biggest files. It’s scheduled to be voted on at the next council meeting in two weeks.
Councillors Bev Esslinger and Michael Walters also gave notice of motion, as did Mayor Don Iveson.
Esslinger wants officials to reevaluate seniors rates for public transit, looking at a discount for single tickets rather than just a $15 monthly or $132.50 annual pass.
Walters wants Edmonton to reevaluate its implementation plan for playground zones, saying long stretches of green spaces with no playgrounds or kids activities have been lumped in.
Kaskitayo Park on 19 Avenue and 109 Street is a good example, he said. It’s signed 30 km/h all along the empty lawn. Three blocks east, 19 Avenue is still zoned 50 km/h beside the playground near the community league building.
“The problem is in the implementation and definitions,” he said, adding he still supports reduced speed where children are playing and wants the program to focus safety efforts there.
Iveson’s motion would start work on a new Office of the Integrity Commissioner, a position modelled after external advisers in Calgary and Toronto. That expert would offer advice and investigate ethical lapses or breaches of a new code of conduct council must write.
“It will give the public assurance that we will hold each other accountable,” Iveson said.
He said he’s seen bullying from politicians toward other councillors and city employees. He also saw councillors get involved in negotiating land deals for properties in their wards to an extent he felt was close to or crossed a line. Negotiations should be left to city staff, he said.
“If it happened, I think it happened with the best of intentions to try to finesse a deal. But our job is not always to finesse a deal,” Iveson said. “If you had an ethics adviser, that advice could be given ... to stand down from that sort of involvement.”
When we’re talking about a complete revamp of our transit system ... one of our most expensive budget items, I think we need all of the available information.